SUSPECT IN MSU BOMBING ARRESTED

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines said one of the suspects in the bombing of the Mindanao State University (MSU) gymnasium that killed four persons and injured at least 50 others was arrested on Wednesday in Marawi.

AFP Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad identified the suspect as Jafar Gamo Sultan alias “Jaf” and “Kurot.”

“The suspect, who was apprehended in an operation in Bgy. Dulay Proper in Marawi, is a companion of a certain Omar, the person identified by witnesses to have placed the improvised explosive device (IED) at the Dimaporo Gymnasium,” Trinidad, in a statement, said.

The AFP official said they are also investigating Sultan’s possible links to the local terrorist group Daulah Islamiyah – Maute.

According to Trinidad , Sultan’s arrest shows the government’s commitment to capturing the perpetrators of the terrorist attack.

He added that the suspect’s capture demonstrates the AFP’s commitment to its mandate as protector of the people and the state.

The Philippine National Police earlier released the pictures and identities of two “persons of interest” in the MSU bombing.

The two were identified as Kadapi Mimbesa alias “Engineer” and Arsani Membisa alias “Khatab,” “Hatab,” and “Lapitos,” both alleged members of the Daulah Islamiyah – Maute group.

Police said Mimbesa was spotted entering the gymnasium carrying a bag where the bomb or IED could have been hidden.

A CCTV footage also showed Mimbesa leaving the area without the bag.